Page 1477 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 4 May 2016

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work-life balance can be challenging for many of those people. It is one of the factors which impacts on health and the quality of life. Providing that extended break from work once every five years is really important, as I said yesterday.

I want to reiterate that this government does support low paid workers and those vulnerable in the territory. I will talk on Mr Hanson’s amendment. In clause 2(c) he asks for “better support for low income Canberrans”. That is what this government does. It does go out and provide better outcomes for low income Canberrans—quite contrary to the Canberra Liberals, who voted against this yesterday. It is pleasing to see that more than 5,900 of these low paid workers will have a better work-life balance and better outcomes due to the policy of this government.

The Liberal Party have broken a large number of promises. They have no mind for supporting the most vulnerable in our community or for developing sensible policy in general. I am glad to say that the ACT government represents the opposite of this shambles.

Mr Smyth, in his address, acknowledged the attacks by his Liberal mates in the John Howard government era, attacks on our Canberra workers. I remember it well. I was working for the department of admin services at the time, at the printing office. Whole departments were erased, including the whole department of admin services. We saw departure lounges created for government workers to try to spend some time to search for new jobs. Those were set up at the printing office as well.

We saw the extraordinary situation where Comcar drivers were terminated. The precision and policy they used were quite extraordinary. They were asked to drive to the printing office to be addressed by a particular officer, with no idea what was going on. They drove their Comcar car to the printing office. They were escorted into a room and faced by a single person, who simply said, “Here’s your cheque and your Cabcharge; you are now terminated.” Out of all of the Comcar drivers that we had here in the ACT—130, I think it was at the time—the Liberal Party terminated all bar three. It was a shameful process.

The Liberal Party does have history on its side on job cuts for the federal public service. That continues. It continues in this budget as well. We know it is in their DNA. The ACT government will stand up for our workers in the territory, contrary to what the Liberal Party does.

Question put:

That Mr Hanson’s amendment be agreed to.

The Assembly voted—

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